ILE are responsible for around 70 per cent of live cattle exports out of the Port of Broome in the Kimberley.

Supplied: Kimberley Ports Authority

ILE exports or arranges processing for about 130,000 cattle a year mostly from the Kimberley and Pilbara, exported via Broome and Fremantle to South-East Asia.

It also supplies a small number of sheep to the same markets.

The ABC understands ILE has written to pastoralists and other stakeholders asking for support, saying it had no intention to export sheep and had not made any applications to do so.

'A suspension would be devastating'

Kimberley Pilbara Cattlemen's Association chair and owner of Anna Plains Station, David Stoate said if the regulator was to suspend or cancel ILE's licence, the implications for the northern cattle industry would be devastating.

"ILE is the biggest player in the northern cattle trade and the whole live export trade out of WA — the ramifications of any cancellations of their licences are profound and would have direct consequences for the industry up here," he said.

"It's the worst time of the year for something like that to happen in the lead up to the wet season when there's less feed on the ground and pastoralists are trying to get rid of excess stock.

"The industry here is comprised of family businesses, larger corporates and a number of indigenous-owned properties, so all of them would be affected profoundly by a ban, as well as all those businesses that service the sector like trucking companies and aerial musterers."

KPCA chair David Stoate says a suspension to ILE's export licence would be devastating for the Northern cattle industry.

KPCA chair David Stoate says a suspension to ILE's export licence would be devastating for the Northern cattle industry.

ABC Kimberley: Courtney Fowler

Mr Stoate said in the worst-case scenario that ILE's licence was suspended, it would not be easy for another exporter to step in and export cattle already in the supply chain.

"They would have to find their own markets and live export business is fairly complicated with the ESCAS [Exporter Supply Chain Assurance System] regulations, so it would be very difficult," he said.

Mr Stoate said the show-cause notice had nothing to do with ILE's performance in animal exports or animal welfare, the concern was with the company's association with Emanuel Exports.

"It's difficult to see how ILE would just start exporting sheep when you need all those ESCAS systems in place to be able to do it," he said.

"[The Government] could ask the question without threatening to shut the whole industry down and threaten the viability of all the businesses here in the north.

"The regulator has to approve any supply chain system of exporting sheep to the Middle East, they have that control anyway so its puzzling why they have to go down this path."

Indigenous pastoral businesses nervous

The show-cause notice to ILE has left many Indigenous-owned pastoral operations in the Kimberley feeling nervous.

Peter Yu is the chief executive officer of the Nyamba Buru Yawuru, the commercial arm of the Yawaru Native Title Holders Aboriginal Corporation.

Yawaru have native title rights to extensive land holdings in and around the Shire of Broome, including the pastoral leases over Roebuck Plains Station and Roebuck Export Depot.

Mr Yu said the corporation had written a letter of support in response to the show-cause notice issued to animal exporter ILE.

"I think there's a great level of misunderstanding and lack of attention in terms of the current impact on Aboriginal-owned pastoral leases, it certainly would have an impact on our pastoral lease at Roebuck Plains station," he said.

"We've got about 10,000 head ready for export at the moment and because we had a late start to the season with the heavy rains, that's just going to push back all of these properties in terms of their current programs.

"We are extremely concerned; it's an extremely important part of not just our business but of the Kimberly cattle industry given that we have the export licence [which] is strategically located near the port of Broome."

Yawuru Indigenous leader Peter Yu says any suspensions to the northern live export trade would be a major set back for Aboriginal-pastoral operations in the Kimberley.

Yawuru Indigenous leader Peter Yu says any suspensions to the northern live export trade would be a major set back for Aboriginal-pastoral operations in the Kimberley.

ABC Kimberley: Ben Collins

Mr Yu said that following the 2011 temporary live export ban by the then Labor Government, many Indigenous pastoralists did not have their voices heard in the debate surrounding the trade.

He said Aboriginal-owned and managed properties made close to 30 per cent of the Kimberley pastoral industry, so any suspension of live export would be a major setback for communities which had worked hard to expand their footprint in the cattle industry.

"Aboriginal properties, like any other pastoralist, are very concerned about the animal welfare issue and of course we expect the regulator to do their jobs properly," he said.

"A lot of those stations need an enormous amount of investment to be able to get production levels up, to be able to improve their infrastructure and the herd.

"This is going to be another setback for them; it will take a lot more money in the long term to try and get them up to scratch so they can be out there earning some money and relying less on public outlays."

Kimberley pastoralists protesting in vehicles in Broome about the live cattle export ban to Indonesia in 2011.